The Exile Returns
by Velace
Summary: In light of recent events, the Queen finds herself in the presence of someone she never thought she would meet and is faced with a decision. Will she give the savior of her son- the Prince and only heir to the throne- a second chance, or will she do what might be necessary to ensure her Kingdom's continued safety?
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: **Okay before I get yelled at - this is a story I have posted on Tumblr and it was requested I put it here. It is no way to be treated as a normal fic because with tumblr stories I update whenever it suits me so none of that begging for more... well, okay you can but I'm not promising anything... ever.

* * *

The Queen looked down upon the knight kneeled at the foot of the dais, expression curious though carefully guarded from the eyes all about the room. While new to her crown, she had spent her childhood surrounded by the walls of the palace she now ruled from within, learned the names that matched each of the Queen's Guard, stared at the insignia's emblazoned upon their breasts.

By sight, recognition eluded her and yet, something told her she knew this person before her. Her father had always said she needed to trust her instincts, that they would serve her longer and better than any wise old advisor ever would. Straightening her spine, she stood from her throne and looked to the guards who lined the walls as she spoke her command, "Clear the room."

She raised a hand as the man beside her opened his mouth to speak and when silence followed, she turned her head to him. "It was not a question and I did not ask for your advice. Now do as I have said and leave at once, or face the consequences of your disobedience."

"Yes, my Queen," he replied and bowed low before he scurried down the steps, passed the knight and out into the hall where the doors closed forcefully behind him.

When the two were all that remained, she heard a sound that would stay with her for years to come. Laughter rang throughout the room, throaty and muffled but there was no mistaking the feminine tone before it ended, surrendering to a voice that left no doubt as to the gender of this knight. "You are far from what I expected; the precious daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, threatening the besotted fools who only wish to protect you."

In the blink of an eye, a sword materialized in the Queen's hand, its point levelled with the knight's throat as she questioned, "Who are you?"

Rising from the ground, the knight stood tall, eyes on the sword that followed her movement. Hands on either side of the helm, she removed the armour from her head and smirked as emerald eyes widened. "Former Queen of the Shadow Lands, Regina if you prefer – the title is quite cumbersome on the tongue… or would you rather dispense with names and run your sword through my chest as both of your parents tried and failed countless times before, Queen Emma?"

"They were never able to get this close," Emma said, although the thought to do so had never occurred to her. "And even if I wanted to, something tells me you would let me."

"True," Regina confessed. "I quite enjoyed tormenting your parents with my continued existence beyond their reach but alas, now they are dead and I feel life has grown much too boring since they passed."

Emma lowered the sword but kept her grip firm on its hilt as she studied the woman before her. She knew the stories, both false and true; the tale of the stable boy, told by a mother on her deathbed hours before she succumbed to her fate. The horrors inflicted upon the realm by a broken and angry woman who blamed a child for the cruelty of her own mother, a mother whose legacy had passed to her daughter – both Queens, both mad with power and both, with the penchant for ripping the hearts from chests, controlling or killing those with which they belonged.

"Is death the reason you came?" Emma wondered aloud, the imperceptible parting of her lips making it clear she had not meant to speak the question. Her mother would be rolling in her grave, to see her daughter so flustered by her enemy's presence was surely an embarrassment.

Dark red lips tilted upwards slowly, a sad smile that looked wrong upon such a beautiful face. "I spent years wondering about this Princess of the Enchanted Forest, tales carried far across other realms. A good portion of my life after my self-imposed exile was wasted away in taverns, drinking myself into a stupor merely to escape such nonsense. True or not, I left this world behind for a reason and yet…"

Regina gestured dismissively, "Let's just say it didn't work quite how I hoped. Death is an option, I suppose, one that was taken from me quite early in my reign as Queen. I've considered it many times and if you'd like to deal the blow that will end this wretched life, then so be it."

"If not death, then surely you expected some form of punishment befitting the crimes you committed whilst Queen when you returned," Emma stated with a frown, her composure having returned while the woman spoke. She had always lacked restraint when it came to her own curiosity, a fact that many pointed out to her over the years.

The smile lightened, making its way to eyes that already held so much feeling in them. "Perhaps, I did however mention the stories about you. For a Queen of only four years, you've made quite an impression and not only on your own people. Capturing the Dark One and forcing him to watch the execution of his only son, truly an impressive feat by someone so young who had been thought of as naïve and..."

"What was that phrase?" She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in feigned thought. "Ah yes, without a single brain cell bouncing around in that pretty little head. Your father liked to make people think the same – my condolences, by the way. Your mother though, can't say I'm sad about that one and her stupidity certainly hadn't been an act."

Pale lips twitched before Emma cleared her throat. "You still haven't answered my question," she stated as her eyebrow rose.

"No I don't suppose I have," Regina chuckled. "For the most part, rumours and curiosity are what brought me back here but, if I am to continue living then I need a purpose. I saved the Prince as a show of good faith; I am tired of hiding and this, despite the years I spent telling myself otherwise, is my home."

Emma stared at her with disbelief. After twenty-five years, she was expected to believe the Evil Queen had returned to the daughter of her long hated enemy for a second chance at a life she cared little for. It was insane, and yet every word the woman spoke had rang true in the Queen's ears.

Shaking her head, Emma dismissed the sword from her hand and descended the steps while Regina stood, unmoving but watching carefully. Emma stopped in front of her, a single step from the floor as she searched for even the smallest hint of deception that would make her decision that much easier. There was no way her subjects would welcome this woman into the Kingdom, not without sufficient punishment and she had a feeling the only punishment that would suffice in their eyes, would be a rather slow and painful death.

"You'll need a new name, a new face," she began to list the thoughts entering her mind. "If the people were to find out who you are, I doubt I could prevent them all from taking your head even at the risk of their own. I can provide you a knighthood for saving my son's life; you did say you wanted a purpose…"

When she noted the raised eyebrow and small smirk dancing across those lips, Emma trailed off and raised one of her own. "What?"

"I am a sworn enemy of the White Kingdom and you're offering me a knighthood when you should be putting me in chains, and locking me in the dungeon to await a death sentence."

"What will that accomplish?" Taking the last step to equal footing, Emma gestured towards her. "You are an ageless sorceress, a well-known strategist during wartime, someone who would make an excellent advisor should I ever have need of another – which I might, considering my current one is an annoying little git who's due for a beheading."

"Oh my, this apple seems to have fallen very far from the tree," Regina teased and she felt a thrill of excitement as a wide grin settled on the Queen's face.

"You have no idea."

* * *

Gathered in the Council Chambers the next day, a number of Lords and Ladies sat around the table discussing the state of affairs. The White Kingdom continued to prosper, the farmers were all overjoyed with the weather and ever since the Dark One had been imprisoned, a state of peace had descended on the realm and looked to remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.

When the Queen broached the topic of knighting the one who rescued her son, silence had befallen the room. Some looked to be considering though most appeared appalled by the notion, and she wondered at the reasons behind those ill-contained expressions as her eyes roamed from face to face.

"My Queen, I really must object; we know nothing of this woman."

Lord Jarrod, Master of Coin was the first to speak and Emma turned to him with a stony gaze. "We know that she saved the Prince's life, that she is a capable fighter – so capable in fact that she fought almost a dozen men while you sat in this room and suggested we pay those traitors for kidnapping my son."

He shrank back into his seat, chastened by the harshness of her tone as she returned her attention to the rest of the council. "I was not asking for permission. She will be knighted and she will be given a position among the Queen's Guard, which I will remind you are named such for a reason."

Taking their silence to mean her message had been received; she took a moment to note each of their expressions so she would know who she needed to keep a careful eye on before she stood. "You are dismissed."

She stopped the Captain of her Guard as he rose by placing a hand on his shoulder and waited for the rest to leave before she spoke, "The ceremony will take place in a fortnight. In that time, I am holding you personally responsible should anything happen to her before then. If any problems arise from within the Guard, you are to come and inform me right away."

"Yes, my Queen," he replied dutifully and she released her hold on him.

While most would have considered her words a threat, she was confident he would interpret them as a show of trust, something she would allow if it meant he did as he was told and no harm came to the brunette. He would be in for a surprise, however, if he failed such a simple task.

He stood, bowed and she waved towards the now open door. "You are free to go, Captain."

Exiting the room a handful of seconds behind him, the guard stationed by the door fell into step beside her and she led them out into the gardens. It was rare for the Queen to be seen indoors when outside of meetings, preferring the fresh open air and the distant sounds of children at play, to the bustling halls and constant clanging of armour as men and women wandered about the palace.

"That cannot be comfortable," she stated as she sat beside the fountain and looked to the guard, covered from head to toe in armour. It was the mid-afternoon, sun high in the sky and even she felt herself beginning to sweat beneath its heat.

"It isn't," came the reply. "But then, I've seen this new face you've given me and I find that by wearing this helm, I'm doing the woman and children a favour hiding it from sight."

Emma laughed and with a flick of her wrist, the helm appeared at her side. Resting her hand atop it, she smiled as she stared into amused brown eyes. "We are alone and as I am the one who cast the illusion, it doesn't work on me; which you already knew."

Regina acknowledged the comment and inclined her head. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent in the air that swirled about her, a small smile on her lips as she opened them again. "Your magic reminds me of the Darkened Wood; the rich scent of soil, infused with the heady aroma that precedes the heavy rain fall during summertide. It is intoxicating; perhaps I merely wanted to present an opportunity that would have you use it in my presence once more."

"Well in that case..." Emma stood and walked towards Regina who remained still as she circled her, once, twice and one final time before she stilled in front of her.

Their eyes locked and Emma placed a hand on the steel breastplate, fingers tapping an unfamiliar rhythm as she beckoned her magic forth. Regina hummed as the pleasing smell assaulted her nose and Emma grinned at seeing the effect it had on her. She guided the hand down the chest piece, the faint blue light of her magic trailing in its wake and wrapping itself around the brunette's form.

As Emma took a step back, the light flared for a brief moment before dissipating and in place of the armour, Regina wore a black, floor length gown that she took the time to admire. Embroidered with the deepest of reds, the thin pattern of branches within the fabric reminded her of the tree she used to sit and stare at for hours in the years that followed her father's death.

Noticing the saddened look clouding her expression, Emma cleared her throat. "I didn't mean to upset you," she said and her voice pulled Regina from those long forgotten thoughts.

"You didn't, it is a gorgeous dress." A slim finger trailed the pattern, from elbow to wrist and Regina smiled as she explained, "Not all good memories are ones filled with happiness."

The truth of that statement was not lost on Emma. There were plenty of memories she had tainted by the spectrum of emotions - anger, sadness, joy and not one would she forget if given the choice to do so. The mind was a canvas for these moments, these memories to fill with colour, detailing those meaningful events throughout life as they occurred. She had much to remember, instances both small and large over the years she would kill to hold on to and die before relinquishing.

"I see I'm not alone in my thoughts," Regina said softly and the Queen smiled with a shake of her head.

"No doubt you have far more experiences to dwell on," Emma replied. "But no, you are not alone in that."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: **For those asking how the two idiots died. David died early on when some rabid sheep he decided to shepherd for old times sake, attacked him and trampled him to death. Snow finally realised how pathetically whiny she was and stabbed herself in the ear, somehow hitting her pea-sized brain and the entire Kingdom cheered as she convulsed about on the floor and died. The End.

Special thanks to Fairytalearchtype for her inspiring David vs Sheep scene.

In other words, their deaths are entirely irrelevant to the story and will only ever be mentioned in passing.

* * *

Regina sat within the chambers the Queen provided for her, lost in thought as she stared into flames that danced about the hearth. She had been unable to get much sleep, her confusion over the events following her return refusing her the slightest moment of peace as she tried to understand them.

When she stepped through the portal back into the Enchanted Forest, she had been fully expecting a platoon of soldiers awaiting her arrival, who would either kill her or put her in chains and drag her back to the White Kingdom. It was absurd, considering no one knew she was coming, but that didn't stop the thought from crossing her mind every few seconds.

Upon entering the realm and facing the reality of it, she found she was somewhat disappointed to discover she was alone, stranded somewhere in the Dark Forest with no soul about for miles. She spent hours walking aimlessly at first, unable to decide on a course of action since she appeared free to do as she pleased. It was around the fourth hour that she heard shouting, the tone of a young boy all too familiar to her ears, followed by the rough growl of a man she later learned was one of the guard assigned to the Prince's protection.

It wasn't until she had subdued the man and killed his comrades that she became aware of the fact she had just saved the heir to the White Kingdom. He had rambled incessantly as she commandeered two of the horses tied to a tree, binding the unconscious man to one saddle before she and the Prince had mounted the second. According to him, she had interrupted them while they were deciding how much to ransom him for and she had scoffed upon hearing the meagre price they decided on before her timely appearance, knowing that as an only child, he was worth at least ten times what they had sought.

Having conjured herself the armour befitting the common guard and with the Prince firmly seated in front of her claiming her as his Savior, she had no trouble gaining entrance to the Palace. However, once the Prince was ushered from the Throne Room, the leader of his kidnappers had been sentenced and the Queen had granted her an audience, she realised she really had no idea what she was doing.

None of what occurred was planned and up until that point, she had neither ambition nor purpose to remain within the White Kingdom. While listening to the Queen thank her for a deed that required no thought at the time, she realised the offer that would follow would be unable to grant the one thing she sought from the people of the land. For her selfless act, the Queen promised a favour in return and that had been the moment the room fell quiet to hear her request.

Her silence had lasted an uncomfortably long time and the urge to vanish grew stronger by the second, but then the blonde surprised her as she stood and cleared the room. Thoughts rushed through her mind, someone from a past life reminding her that the darkness within still existed, a flicker of the old desire for power rising beneath her breast – only to be shaken off with the dressing down of the Queen's Advisor.

Stories of the White Princess were a passing nuisance throughout her travels. Wherever she went, without fail, she would hear of the child's latest accomplishments as though she were visiting a neighbouring Kingdom rather than a new land entirely. Seeing the more human side to the monarch, the side that cared little for allowing one of her lessers to scold her like an insolent child, had given the former Queen an idea.

Queen Emma was known to be ruthless and deceptive; someone who often ignored the wisdom of her council when making decisions that would affect those around her. Most were prevented from complaining about such since those very traits lead to the capture of the Dark One, but more often than not, Emma was known as someone who would do right by her subjects regardless of the path she took to get there and it was that, which Regina counted on to work in her favour.

Her death would be the safest option, the one in which the council would no doubt support without hesitation, but if she approached it right; the Queen would see the benefit of keeping her alive. In the process, Regina would work on gaining the trust of the people and eventually, be granted forgiveness of her previous crimes so that she could continue to live out her life in relative peace.

Feigning a blasé attitude about death, which was probably much less pretend than she would ever admit to herself, she succeeded far more easily than she thought possible and was on her way to becoming knighted, soon to be a member of the Queen's Guard.

None of that was what confused her; at least it wasn't at the forefront of her mind.

What baffled her was the fact she and the Queen were spending time together and she found herself _liking _the attention. She wasn't too thrilled about hiding her identity, but she agreed that it made sense and it would certainly assist with her goal of getting on the right side of the people. What she didn't agree to, and what she was having a hard time accepting, was seemingly being the Queen's constant companion. She could barely spend an hour outside of her rooms without Emma popping up out of nowhere and despite how hard she tried to be annoyed by the fact, she never was.

* * *

A few hours later when the rest of the palace had awoken, Emma swept into the library where her son sat for his morning lessons. She grinned as she watched him pretend to listen to his teacher drone on about history, while every few minutes his eyes would drop down to the book in front of him, read a line, then dart back up to make sure he hadn't been caught before repeating the action.

Seeing how he behaved around others always made her happy, it reminded her of how she was as a child. Her father often said she was a handful growing up, disappearing to the training grounds to watch the guard practice when she should have been inside, taking lessons in etiquette – or when she would escape to the stables for an impromptu ride when there were guests to entertain and feign civility for.

Nothing had changed much.

She was still late for meetings because she wandered too far from the palace, ended the afternoon's she held court early in preference for sparring with the guard. The only difference really, was that she was now Queen and no one could scold her as her mother often had – at least, no one tried again after she put her advisor in his place during the first year of her reign when she appeared in the throne room covered in bruises.

"Master Faros, I believe you've detained my son long enough." Emma stepped further into the room as she interrupted the man mid-sentence, "He is late for his riding lesson, which means _I _am late and I do detest tardiness; such a bad habit for a Prince to learn, wouldn't you agree?"

"Of c-course. My apologies, Your Majesty," the old man stuttered and Emma offered him a sickly sweet smile. Her own proclivity for being unpunctual was a well-known cause for annoyed mutterings among nobles and peasants alike, it amused her no end to remind them of such when the tables were turned.

"Come along, Aden." Emma picked up the book that had his interest and tucked it under her arm before she held out a hand for him. His fingers slid into her palm and when he stood from his chair, she led them from the room without sparing another thought for his tutor.

By the time they reached the stables, their horses were saddled and Aden's head swivelled about as he noted a third horse beside his own. Upon finding no one else around, he tugged his mother's hand. "Mama, who's the other horse for?"

"That would be mine, little Prince." Regina came up behind them and smiled down at the boy as he turned and frowned up at her. Seeing that he didn't recognise her, she looked to Emma who made a gesture that dispelled her magic and at the sound of his surprised gasp, Regina nodded and the illusion returned.

"Why are you hiding, 'Gina?"

Emma snorted before she could respond and as the perfect brow arched her way, Emma smiled as she said, "Lady Genevieve, you chose it because of his nickname for you."

Regina shrugged and replied, "He's been calling me that ever since we met, there's no telling how many people have heard it by now; it made sense and now I won't have to explain to anyone why he's calling me 'Gina when my name is..." she paused and waved a hand dismissively. "…Caitlynn or whatever asinine name you came up with."

"You know I could have you hanged for insulting my imagination like that," Emma teased as they made their way over to the horses.

"You could," Regina agreed and then smirked as she taunted, "Except I'm an ageless sorceress, a well-known strategist during wartime-"

"Wow," Emma interrupted the repetition of reasons she gave not to imprison the woman the day they met. "I'm beginning to reconsider not throwing you in the dungeon, you're so rude to your Queen."

Helping the Prince onto his horse before mounting her own, Regina chuckled as she noticed the pout of pale lips, which transformed into a grin at the sound. "Perhaps I would be more polite, if _my Queen _didn't enjoy my bad manners quite so much."

"Mother was right all along," Emma claimed as she nudged her horse and steered them towards the wide-open pastures surrounding the Palace and outlying villages. "You are an evil, heartless shrew."

Regina had to stifle her laughter as she gasped in mock horror. "She called me a shrew? The nerve of the woman!" Emma's responding laughter broke the tenuous hold she had on her own and she chuckled once more as she shifted in her saddle, urging her steed into a light trot until she was alongside the Queen who spared her a side-glance and a small smile.

They rode in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts; strangely similar in nature though neither was aware of the fact. The ease they found in the company of one another disturbed them both. The war between Snow White and the Evil Queen was a story of legend, one so well known that worlds apart from their own knew of the tale. Each differed in minor details with each realm, of course, yet the outcome of the story always remained the same; the Evil Queen fled to an unknown destination, for unknown reasons and the White Queen had searched for her until her dying breath.

Emma had maintained a mind of indifference throughout each rendition she ever heard, at least until she had sat at her mother's bedside where she was told the story in its entirety. Although it had been only one side, she had known the truth of it by the unimaginable pain that shone through eyes that were so much like her own. Her mother had cried, she had begged forgiveness of a woman who could not hear, of Gods she did not believe in and of a daughter who could not give it to her.

Ever since that day, her heart housed a sadness she yearned to understand and for the first time in four years, with the return of the woman beside her, she had felt the slow ebb of that sorrow fade with each moment the two spent in each other's presence. Feeling that weight lighten from her chest filled the Queen with a happiness she thought unobtainable, yet it was dampened by the confusion as she still lacked the ability to understand why she felt these things to begin with.

"Mama, can we stop at the lake?"

Broken from her thoughts, Emma looked to her son with a smile that was reserved solely for him. "Of course, my sweet."

As he took to riding in front of them, she slowed her horse upon sensing the eyes on her and turned her attention to the brunette who spoke without question. "It has been a long time since I last saw that look."

Emma furrowed her brow. "What look?"

"The one of a mother's love for her child," Regina smiled wistfully. "Your parents had that exact same look the day you were born."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: **Regina has feelings, Emma is stupid and I quite possibly don't like this chapter. In other words, there's nothing surprising here.

* * *

When they reached the lake, Emma dismounted her horse and helped Aden from his own. As much as she wanted to offer Regina assistance too, she refrained, not wanting to make her feel as though she were some helpless maiden. The words Regina spoke as silence befell their ride to the lake echoed within Emma's mind and as she gestured permission for her son to go and play, she moved to stand beside the brunette.

"You mentioned my birth," she said and Regina glanced sideways at her. "You were there?"

Shaking her head, Regina offered the blonde a warm smile. "Not in the physical sense," she replied. "I am unsure how much of my reign is still common knowledge…"

"There are stories about you," Emma supplied. The tale of the Evil Queen had become a traditional bedtime story in the White Kingdom; every child born within the last three decades knew of the former Queen's evil stepmother. "I'm guessing you used your famous mirror magic."

"I did," Regina confirmed after a moment in which she frowned at the interruption. "I found it rather strange that the one day she should have wanted to keep to herself, she shared with me but I thought very little of it at the time." Emma nodded as the two took to walking the edge of the lake and every so often, their eyes drifted to the Prince who kept himself entertained as he skimmed stones through the water.

"My mother made no small number of questionable decisions when she was alive, but of all the stories she told and the way she spoke of you, I never once doubted she still loved you despite the bad blood." Their eyes met and Emma smiled faintly as she caught the emotion in the brunette's gaze before she continued.

"Perhaps she wanted to share a small piece of her happiness with you," she said with a barely perceptible shrug. Her mother had told her the mirrors about the Palace were enchanted, _to keep out prying eyes;_ she explained when Emma asked the reason. She was eight years old when she first heard of their feud, her curious nature having forced her mother to recite the tale repeatedly over the years.

"Whatever her reason," Regina replied. "The day you came into the world, was the day I decided I no longer wanted to be the woman everyone feared."

* * *

Regina wandered about the room, the celebration announced during her knighting ceremony in full swing as the sounds of conversation, music and merriment surrounded her. The festivities were a far cry from what she had been accustomed to during her reign as the Evil Queen; the choice of music, the company, the overindulgence—but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself for the most part.

The suspicion from the populace was something she found hard to ignore sometimes; though she did her best given what might happen should she allow their mistrust to crawl beneath her skin. She promised herself she would resist the seductive call of her magic and after two full weeks without, she could only imagine the extent of destruction she would cause with the right provocation. It was more difficult than she had anticipated, especially in the presence of so many people, yet she had managed to distract herself for the better part of the evening by accepting an abundant number of requests she received to dance.

Loathe as she was to wear the face of a stranger, and despite her earlier complaints to the contrary, she begrudgingly admitted during her fifth dance that there was a certain allure to her mask. She was by no means a beauty, but there was a definite masculine femininity that seemed to appeal to the noblemen—and she certainly wasn't blind to the appreciative looks thrown her way by the noble_women_ either.

The memory of such looks inevitably led to one woman in particular, one who was far more pleasing and much less vapid than said noblewomen.

The Queen had yet to approach her, though Regina knew it was only a matter of time. Whenever her eyes travelled to the large table where the blonde sat flanked by two of her Guard, council members seated around her, it was as though Emma predicted the attention and would turn only seconds after the glance. She would smile, wait for Regina to return it, and then continue on in conversation with whoever held her interest in that moment.

As the night wore on, the jubilation of those in attendance only increased with the amount of ale and wine that flowed freely into mugs and goblets the instant they emptied. Regina felt herself growing weary, the dances waning as the intoxication rose and her feet started to ache. She knew it was still too soon to leave, Prince Aden having appeared only an hour earlier to wish her a goodnight before one of the servant woman ushered him off to bed.

She sighed and plucked another goblet from a passing tray, then made her way over to the doors that led out on to the balcony. With the sounds behind her muffled, she took a seat on one of the benches that lined the walls, leaning her head back and closing her eyes as she allowed the stillness of night to wash over her, muscles releasing a tension she had been unaware she carried.

Mind dulled with the newfound relaxation, she failed to register another's presence and snapped her eyes open upon feeling a subtle shift in the air. A warm hand clasped the one that held her wine as it tipped precariously to the side—saving her dress from complete ruin—and she blinked up at the woman who stood before her, throat suddenly dry as the sight of the blonde bathed in the soft light of the moon stole the breath from her lungs.

"I wait all night to dance with you, only to look up and find you've disappeared," Emma said in a teasing tone, her smile kind as she righted the goblet before taking a seat beside the brunette and retracting her hand.

Regina flicked her tongue over chapped lips and remained silent, thoughts not quite with her as she took another sip of wine and waited for her mind to sort itself out. While resisting her magic to do even the simplest of things was a daily challenge, it was child's play in comparison to ignoring her growing attraction to the Queen. She wasn't certain when it happened; only partially aware of the draw she felt on that first day within the throne room, but it had long since passed the point she could deny its existence.

"I'm sure we will have the chance, as I have no intention of leaving," she assured after a while. "I'm not as young as I used to be, but even I would be ashamed were I to leave quite so early."

The quiet chuckle in response had her turning her head and she was surprised to find Emma sat as close as possible without having to climb into her lap. "Could have fooled me," Emma replied, her words disrupting the budding thought that appeared in the brunette's mind and Regina inwardly sighed in relief.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you were younger than I am."

Regina hummed. "Good thing you do know better then," she stated and drained the last of her wine before she stood. If the night had reached the point where Emma's company would continue, then she would need more, preferably conversing and drinking with an audience that with any luck would deter either of them from pushing the boundaries of their friendship.

Looking up at her, Emma cleared her throat and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Regina frowned, the denial having come more forcefully than she intended. She shook her head and tried again, "No, but it is getting cold and I would like some more wine."

"Oh." Emma smiled and offered her arm as she stood. "Well in that case let us find you a refill, and then you and I will have that dance."

* * *

Emma stared at the doors, the back of the brunette the last thing she saw before they closed with a sense of finality to them. They were two dances in to their evening before Regina pulled away, excusing herself with the claim of feeling unwell and leaving the Queen confused in the middle of the dining hall. She had lied, Emma had detected the dishonesty the second the words escaped dark lips, but her mind was sluggish from too much wine and she couldn't figure out why.

"My Queen, would you do me the honour of this next dance?"

Snapped from her self-induced trance, Emma swayed a moment and fixed the man with a blank expression. Good looking, dressed in the gold trimmed finery of the House Mortain and with the arrogant smirk of a Lord; she labelled him a typical nobleman and gave him the best of a false smile. "Apologies, but I have something more pressing to attend to. Please enjoy the rest of your evening," she said and ignored his look of protest as she strode to the doors, waited for them to open, then stepped through without a backward glance.

The clank of metal boots against stone sounded behind her and she slowed, as even her own curiosity couldn't override the years of lectures her mother gave about wandering off without protection. Considering she was more than capable of defending herself, it irked her as much now as it did then and she threw the guard a glare before increasing her pace once more.

She needed to find out what caused the brunette to leave in such a rush. The night was still young and while their conversation had halted while they danced, Emma had enjoyed their time together and had—apparently, wrongly—assumed Regina was as well. Nearing the woman's chambers, she gestured for the Guard to move further down the hall and waited until he took up a position a few feet from where she stood before she knocked.

When there was no response and the door remained shut, she frowned. She knew Regina was in there, the echo of her magic surrounding the woman said as much. Surely, she couldn't have fallen asleep already. Emma raised her hand, ready to knock once more, but she paused as a question entered her wine-soaked brain. Was it possible Regina lied to escape their evening because she had misread all those glances? She had caught the brunette looking at her throughout the night, had thought her company would be welcome but perhaps Regina only looked to make sure she wouldn't intrude on her time.

A sinking feeling entered her stomach and with a scowl, Emma stepped back. If her presence wasn't wanted, then she wasn't about to make a fool of herself by showing concern for the woman. She sneered at the thought and abruptly turned on her heel, marching her way back to the celebration where she _would _accept the next dance request, regardless of who it came from.


End file.
